Just Add Ink 41

Once again I am participating in the Just Add Ink Challenge. Its great to have something to work towards rather than just making a random card. So the theme for this week is JUST ADD BIRTHDAYS...to make a birthday themed card (JAI #41). Now this is a very broad topic, so here is my card...

I've used Old Olive and Whisper White Cardstock teemed with the Olive Old and Tempting Turquoise ink pads. The cute button is from the SU Bold Brights button pack (which I adore!) and the ribbon is non SU. I've also used the gorgeous new little SU pearls which add a touch of elegance to the card I think. The stamp Set I've used is Cute by the Inch which is a current hostess set.

Also, I just wanted to point out that anyone can join in on the Just Add Ink Challenges...it is not just for SU Demonstrators, so why not give it a go!

Now completely off the topic, I'd like to wish my very good friend Samantha a very Happy Birthday. She is a wonderful, wonderful friend and I hope she has had an amazing birthday weekend.

Thanks for stopping by...remember I love knowing that you have been here, so leave me a comment so I know you have stopped by. You don't need to have a google account, you can just sign in as Annoymous.



Punch Art Blog Hop

Welcome to my first ever Blog Hop...the inaugural South Pacific punch art blog hop!!! If you are coming from Tia's blog, I hope you are enjoying the blog hop so far and getting lots of inspiration. If you are just starting out at my blog then WELCOME and grab a cuppa so you can sit back and be inspired by all the wonderful creations on the different blogs.

A bunch of us Stampin Up demonstrators from NZ and Australia have got together to put this blog hop together. We all love our Stampin Up punches. We have gotten together to showcase a selection of the punches you can purchasae from Stampin Up. Please leave a comment and let us know what you think to go in the draw to win some yummy scrummy punch art blog candy (offer not available to su demos). Comments are open till Friday 5th Nov at 10am.

So the way it works is that each of us demonstrators have been assigned a punch/s to showcase. You start at one blog (doesn't matter which one) and then you follow through the links. So at the end of my post will be the link to the next blog in the blog hop and so on. I've also included the full list of blogs just in case you have any trouble! 

So I am doing the 6 x Circle punches and I would have to say without a doubt these are my most used and most versatile punches. They have so many uses. I use them alot on Scrapbooking Layouts, but also on cards.

Before I go any further, I have to apologise for my photos...I did leave things till the last minute and took all these photos last night so the lighting is a bit dodgy and they are quite crooked as I was trying to get it all finished. Anyway, moving on...

I have heaps of picutres to show you...it really is the best way to showcase how versatile these punches are.

Firstly, Circles are wonderful for use as general embellishments on scrapbook pages...

Some of you may have seen this one before, but I thought I'd use it again as it is a good example of using patterned paper with the circle punches.

Whether you use one, three, six or more circles, you really can't go wrong. They really add some interest to scrapbook layouts.

Then you can add layers to your circles. Whether you use a few different size punches or combine a circle with another punched shape such as the scallop circle or a square, it will always give a great effect.

Another great use for one of the larger circle punches is to punch out a photo. This can really draw attention to an expression on the face of someone if you crop in close and punch out your circle...

This one below may be a little hard to see, but if you take several punched circle shapes (in this case white circles) and put them together they give a flower like effect. You could also place half circles on a page to give a large scallop like effect.

I love using half circles as well. All I do to create this effect is punch out the circle then cut it in half using my trimmer. This layout was done a few years ago and I loved it so much that I recently created a card using the same effect and similar colours! 

Circles come in handy for a place to add a date to a scrapbook layout as well...

My last example of the circle punch is to not only punch out a circle but to punch out a half circle to use as a frame of sorts. Its hard to explain, but you can see what I mean in the two layouts below.

I highly recommend all sizes of the circle punch (there are 6 available through Stampin' Up!). However, I have to say my most used sizes are the 1 3/4"; the 1 1/4" and the 1" punches. They can be found on pages 146-147 of the IB&C and they range in price from $11.50 through to $33.95.

So now you can move onto the next blog in the blog hop which is the very talented Angie Jones and she is showcasing the Ornament punch. Check out her blog at http://angiescraftfusion.blogspot.com/

Don't forget to leave me a comment and you will go in the draw to win some blog candy prizes from all of us demonstrators! Below is the list of all the demonstrators that are participating in the blog hop.

Thanks for stopping by.

1. Karen Southwell - http://www.kareniescrafts.blogspot.com/
2. Carol-Ann Torrie http://queen-of-scraps.blogspot.com/
3 Sally Williams http://www.sallycancraft.com/
4 Julia Leece - http://www.juliascards.blogspot.com/
5 Amy http://ladybugsanddaisychains.blogspot.com/
6 Melissa Davies http://beedevinedesigns.blogspot.com/
7 Michelle Dyson http://www.stampinkpaper.blogspot.com/
8 Clare Mcilhatton http://craftycowcreations.blogspot.com/
9 Lisa Bullock http://daffyscrapper.wordpress.com/
10 Pauline Bennetts - http://paulinebennetts.com/stampede/
11 Tia Routledge http://craftingwithtia.weebly.com/my-blog.html
12 Emma Kirton http://www.emmakirton.blogspot.com/
13 Angie Jones http://angiescraftfusion.blogspot.com/
14 Andrea Buckland http://creatingcardswithandrea.blogspot.com/
15 Steph Gray http://stampinsteph.wordpress.com/

 

A special event

Hello, apologies for not posting this week...I have been busy with lots of things, one of which was creating these little gifts for all the parents coming to Kindy Orientation at our school.

I am part of the P&C at school and I made up these as a little gift to welcome the parents to the school from the P&C. They are First Day of School Parent Survival kits. The blurb says "A little gift to help you survive your child's first day of school, from the P&C." It contains a coffee sachet, packet of tissues, tea bag, a Time Out choc bar and some info on the P&C. I had planned to be a bit more creative with stamping etc but time got the better of me so they are very simple. I hope they all like them.

Anyway, I also wanted to let you know about a special event that is taking place tomorrow on my blog. My very first blog hop. A bunch of SU demonstrators have got together to showcase the wonderful SU punches. There are 15 blogs to visit and all will show a different punch/s and give you lots of inspiration on different ways of using the punches. So you can start with my blog and then I will link to the next blog and so on. So take some time out with a cuppa and sit back and enjoy all the wonderful creations we have to show you!

Come back tomorrow (Friday 29th) at 10am for my post.

Thanks for stopping by.

Christmas is just around the corner!

Can you believe Christmas is so close...only 64 days away arghhhh! I better get my butt into gear! I have done no shopping or card making as yet, so I really do need to get myself sorted.

Stampin' Up! have released a great special from now until the end of November. They have some great Christmas bundles which include a Christmas Stamp Set and Designer Christmas Patterned Paper. Not only that if you purchase one of these bundles you receive a spool of Christmas ribbon (your choice of 4) absolutely free. This is definitely going to help out with getting organised for Christmas. These bundles and ribbons are while stocks last only so get in quick as I have a feeling they are going to be very popular. Click here for all the info. If you would like to place an order please drop me an email and I will have your order delivered to you within a week.

Thanks for stopping by.

Winners!

Well today has been busy, so I'm stopping by really quickly to announce the winners from my favourites week. I used Random.org to generate the winners this way it is completely neutral!!!

So the Stamp Set winner is:

Mandy

and the 2nd prize winner is:

Kelly P

I will get your prizes to you in the next few days ladies.

Congratulations!

I will be back tomorrow with the card I promised to show you.

I'm Back...quickly!

I'm just stopping by really quickly to apologise for not announcing the winner of my Favourites Competition. I have had no internet or email since last Friday as apparently the cable coming into my house blew up! Anyway, it was finally fixed today and now I am trying to sort through nearly 200 emails and catch up on things like internet banking. So I will be back tomorrow with the winner of the competition plus some new cards to show you.

Thanks for stopping by.

Favourites TEN!!!

The last day of favourites...Number TEN. This stamp set was available in the last catalogue, although I have only recently purchased it. I absolutely Love, Love, Love this stamp set!!! It is the Flight of the Butterfly Stamp Set. It also has a matching butterfly punch (note, the punch in the photo is the old style...if you ordered it now, the punch would come in the new design which is much easier to store and use).

There are so many options with this stamp set. The butterflies can be used for a little girls card, a sympathy card, a birthday card, a thank you card...and the list goes on. Even without the matching punch, you can still make amazing cards with the stamps. They also come in handy as an element on a scrapbook page.

As for the actual card I made, this would have to be one of my favourites. I've used Kraft, Confetti White, Baja Breeze, Chocolate, Cajun Craze and Certainly Celery cardstocks (and ink). I've used Certainly Celery Grosgrain Ribbon. Plus I've added a cute button tied with linen thread. Just a note here on the button...the new button packs are absolutely adorable and come in lots of colours. They only just missed my favourites list - if I'd been doing 11, they would have made it!

The Flight of the Butterfly Stamp Set can be found on page 88 of the Catalogue and is $53.95 (Item #115798).

If you would like to order this or any products, you can drop me an email. I can have the products shipped directly to you if you are not in my area. Credit Card payments are accepted.

Well that is it...my 10 Favourite Items from the New Idea Book & Catalogue. I really hope you have enjoyed reading my posts and I hope it has inspired you to get creating!  I will leave comments open for the prize draw until Monday. I will be back then to announce the winners. Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to comment.

I will be back with more scrapbook layouts and cards in the next few days.

Have a great weekend.

Favourites NINE

So today's favourite is very high up on my list and its lots and lots of fun. It is the Make a Monster Stamp Set and I can tell you that the kids (even the girls) love this stamp set!

I highly recommend this stamp set in the Clear Mount version as it really helps to be able to see where you are stamping each part of the monster. The stamp set comes with all the different Monster "parts" to make a variety of different Monsters. There are many different combinations.

My kids LOVE this stamp set and find it quite easy to use as well. The combinations we have come up with are amazing and it really is lots of fun. The perfect set to be able to make cards for boys (I always find boys cards a challenge!).

I've also used some patterned paper from the Greenhouse Gala Pack and I've used Chocolate, Baja Breeze and Real Red Cardstocks.

This stamp set is on page 62 of the catalogue and is $33.95 for Clear Mount (Item # 120606) and $41.95 for the Wood Mount (Item #121837).

Only one day left and I have a lovely stamp set to show you tomorrow. Don't forget to leave a comment so that you have a chance to win one of the great prizes I have to give one of you.

As always, thanks for stopping by.

Favourites EIGHT

Welcome back to my Favourites from the New Idea book & Catalogue. I really hope you are enjoying my overview of my Top 10 products.

Today's favourite is the a' la Carte Stamps...in particular the For You Flower Stamp. The a' la Carte stamps are an extremely affordable way of building up your stamp collection. They are single stamps in a variety of different occasions, including Christmas (Dasher), thanks, baby, birthday and more. All are lovely stamps and priced between $11.95 and $14.95. They can be found right at the back of the catalogue - on the inside back cover.

The For You Flower Stamp is very versatile and it also handy because it matches the Fancy Flower Punch. I have used this stamp to make a set of gift cards. I've also used the five new In Colours which I am really loving.

These cute little cards were so quick and easy to put together.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you are having a great week.

Favourites SIX & SEVEN!!!

Well I am cheating just a little here and combining two Favourites in one. But they look so good together on this card, that I just couldn't resist!

The two favourites are the I {Heart} Hearts Stamp Set and the beautiful new In Colour Stitched Poly Ribbons.

The I {Heart} Hearts Stamp Set is so, so versatile. It is perfect for cards, but also really great for Scrapbook pages too. I have it in the clear mount option, but it would be fine in wood mount as well. The thing I really love about this set is that there are also two punches that co-ordinate with it and fit perfect around a few of the hearts which is great. I can see that I will use this stamp set a lot.

I've done this card as the Make & Take at a couple of workshops I've done recently, so sorry to those that have already seen it. I did see something similar on a gallery somewhere on the internet, but I can't remember who the designer was to be able to reference it...sorry! The I {Heart} Hearts Stamp Set can be found on page 18 of the catalogue and is priced at $42.95 for wood mount and $33.95 for clear mount.

As for the In Colour 1/2 inch Poly Stitched Ribbons, these are brilliant. They are something different to the standard Grosgrain and satin ribbons. They have a lovely, almost silky feel about them and they tie so well. I have to say the picture in the catalogue does not do them justice at all. My absolute favourite colour is Poppy Parade, which is what I've used in the card. They are priced at $16.95 for a 13.7metre roll of ribbon. They can be found on page 136 of the catalogue.

Well thats it for Favourites Six & Seven. I'll be back tomorrow with Favourite Eight. Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to leave a comment and go in the draw for some great prizes!

Favourites FIVE

Here we are again, Favourites FIVE. Today's favourite is the Designer Series Paper Patterns Stack. To be honest I really like all the Stampin' Up! Patterned Papers, but the Paper Stack is something not to be missed. You get a stack of 40 (yep you read correct...40!!!!) sheets of patterend paper. I adore patterned paper and have a considerable amount - more than I could ever use probably!!!! Anyway, you can choose which colour collection you would like the stack in...whether it be Brights, Subtles, Neutrals or Regals, all are available. With these colour collections you get 40 sheets which consists of 2 each of 2 double sided designs. The paper stack is also available in the In Colour range and with this you get 40 sheets which consists of 4 each of 2 double sided designs.

It is hard to do the papers justice in a photo, but the designs of the papers are gorgeous and if you are a scrapbooker, they are quite neutral (not overly girlish or boyish!). This is an In Colour Stack so there are only 5 colours in it. There is a stripe, a polka dot, a very fine words and this one shown above which I guess you would describe as a filigree. I love the paper stack. Below I have done a scrapbook page using the polka dot Pear Pizzazz colour and I really love how this page turned out.

I've also used the Stampin' Up! brads and the Pretty in Pink cardstock.

The paper stack is on page 127 of the catalogue and is $37.95. Item number varies depending on whcih colour stack you are getting.

Well there you have Favourite Number Five. I hope you are enjoying the series so far. We are half way through!

Don't forget to leave me a comment so you can go in the draw to win one of the gifts I have to give away at the end of the week.

Favourites FOUR

Welcome to day Four of my favourites. Today I have something that is very new to Stampin' Up! and it will help everyone out with the projects whether they are cards, scrapbook pages or anything that uses colour.

It is the Colour Coach.

This is such a handy tool to have. It starts off with cards containing all the principal's of colour. It has the colour wheel as well which is always handy to have close by. Then there is a card for every Stampin' Up! colour. On the reverse of the colour cards are the colour scheme's.

 Every card gives you two different colour scheme's and believe me, some of the scheme's you would not have thought to put together, but they really work. It is such a handy tool and makes life easy when you can't work out what colour should go with what. It also helps with choosing what cardstock to purchase. All in all this is such a handy tool to have...even if you don't use Stampin' Up cardstock, the colours and colour scheme's will still help you pick colours for you layouts or cards.

The Colour coach is on page 117 of the catalogue. Item # 121620 $28.95.

Remember to leave me a comment!  See you tomorrow.

JAI Challenge #38

I love the Just Add Ink Website...it is always full of great inspiration and I love participating in the challenges too, its always lots of fun. So to interupt my Top 10 Favourites for a minute, I wanted to show you my entry into the JAI Challenge #38 this week.

Just Add Ink is supporting The Cancer Council's national Pink Ribbon Day which is coming up on October 25th. Events held for this day aims to help raise awareness about breast cancer, as well as raise funds towards research, education and patient support programs. This is something very close to my heart so of course I had to participate this week!

This weeks challenge is based around all things feminine, beautiful and proud!

JUST ADD BLING ... and PINK!

 

 

I've used the Always Elegant Stamp Set as well as Tiny Tags. The colours I've used are the new In Colour, Blushing Bride teemed with Certainly Celery and Early Espresso and of course the wonderful Stampin' Up! Rhinestones.

Hope you like!